National Football Foundation

No task is too large for Billy Payne.  After single-handedly bringing the Olympic Games to Atlanta in 1996, he now reigns over golf's most prestigious event, attempting yet again to further the global reach of his home state.

A graduate of the University of Georgia in 1969 with a Bachelor's Degree in political science, Payne lettered three years for the Bulldogs at receiver and defensive end.  Payne, who led the team in receptions his sophomore season, played on three Bulldog teams that posted just four losses between 1966 and 1968. Named a 1968 NFF National Scholar-Athlete, Payne switched to defensive end prior to his senior season, leading the Bulldogs to the SEC title and a berth in the Sugar Bowl.  Earning All-SEC and All-America honors, he was named Georgia's most outstanding athlete. His many collegiate career highlights include intercepting a pass from NFF Chairman Archie Manning in the Bulldogs' game against Ole Miss.

The recipient of postgraduate scholarships from the NCAA and NFF, Payne earned his law degree from Georgia in 1973 and practiced real estate law until 1988.   That year, he was named president and CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, launching a successful bid to bring the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, thought to be headed to Athens, to Atlanta. He continued in his leadership role, becoming the first person in modern history to land an Olympic bid and remain president and CEO through the games themselves.  Atlanta also holds the distinction of becoming the first city to win an Olympic bid on its first attempt and being the first privately funded Olympics in the history of the event.

A founding member and chairman and CEO of Centennial Holding Company, a privately held real estate investment company in Atlanta, Payne became chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament, in 2006.  In his short time as chairman, Payne inked a new television contract with ESPN to cover the Par 3 contest and provide early round coverage of the Masters.  He is also a principal in Gleacher Partners, LLC, an investment banking firm with offices in Atlanta. Payne has served on the board of directors for many companies, including Anheuser-Busch, Lincoln Financial, Cousins Properties, National Distributing Company and the Atlanta Falcons.

Beyond his business career, Payne serves as a chief fundraiser for a civil and human rights center to be built in Atlanta.  In 1997, the NCAA honored Payne with the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the most prestigious honor given to an individual by the NCAA.  He is a member of the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and has twice been named Georgian of the Year.